S Korea expresses relief over Abe's comments on Japan war apologies

This is positive.

Good on Abe. He managed to place the lid on a boiling pot, for now.

However the gas is still on. There are many, many Japanese people who believe that claims of sexual slavery by IJA is a complete fabrication, including many posters right here on JT.

So now it looks like Abe took a step forward. Thing is, I have not forgotten the many steps he has taken backward.

“It is a relief that Prime Minister Abe announced his government will uphold the Murayama statement and the Kono statement,”

They decided not to revise them. I would not term that as "uphold".

Incidentally, when is the South Korean government going to issue their own apology to the victims of Japanese aggression to whom the SK government failed to deliver compensation from Japan? At this stage the victims are still owed, both by Japan and South Korea.

Yeah, this week! Wait till next week when the right-wing oyajis start stirring the pot again. Abe was a supporter of reviewing this apology, but has done a complete flip-flop. Is there an election coming?

South Korean President Park Geun-hye expressed relief on Saturday over remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that his government would adhere to apologies for wartime behaviour made by past cabinets, in 1993 and 1995.

A master stroke by Abe. He forced South Korea to acknowledge that an apology did exist. South Korean is now stuck, when they fell into Abe's trap they told the world that Japan had apologized for this issue. Hell, now the world knows about the AWF that the Japanese Government began.

“President Park also expressed hopes that this becomes an opportunity in which we can alleviate the pain of the ‘comfort women’ victims and solidify the bilateral relationship of South Korea and Japan as well as that of Northeast Asia,” Min added at a briefing on Saturday.

Translation, she wants Japan to pay more compensation to these women. Too bad for Park that the treaty of 1965 makes any compensation South Korea's responsibility.

JoeBiggs: "A master stroke by Abe. He forced South Korea to acknowledge that an apology did exist."

They never said it didn't -- just that it was no genuine apology, especially with politicians undermining any apologies that existed.

"...when they fell into Abe's trap they told the world that Japan had apologized for this issue."

Abe's trap is the one under his nose that got him into the trouble and need to be pressured not only by South Korea, but the United States, Britain, and other nations. Now, Abe has had to back-step, which is not only an embarrassment to himself and the people who want to rescind the apologies and claim sex-slaves did not exist (or were volunteers, etc.!), but he's weakened his reputation and shown he is not at all a good leader. What's more, I think we all know he really only did this due to the extreme pressure he was under and that he really does wish to rescind the apologies.

All that said, this is a baby-step in the right direction (shame how many steps Abe took back before the 180), and I DO hope it will go a certain distance toward mending ties.

Abe told a parliamentary panel on Friday that his cabinet had no intention of reviewing the statements made by his predecessors.

Abe also said, when applying to hold the Olympics in Japan, "everything is under control"... He's probably scared now that his own countrymen (who are going to suffer even more from "abenomics" with the new consumption tax) may rise up and turn against him.

A master stroke by Abe.

Oh, I see. So it was a game after all.

Looking forward to the next one.

Abe was a supporter of reviewing this apology, but has done a complete flip-flop. Is there an election coming?

Would you rather he had gone ahead with the review? So what if he changes his mind... shows he's listening.

It would really help if Abe issued his own personal statement acknowleging wartime Japanese soldiers' wrongdoings and saying he's ashamed of it, and if Park issued a statement acknowleging Abe's statement and then both countries move on and work together to deal with North Korea and China.

Well said, Thunderbird. Let's try and see this in a positive light, folks. I've got no time for Abe, but even a stopped watch is right twice a day.....

Thunderbird2: "Would you rather he had gone ahead with the review? So what if he changes his mind... shows he's listening."

You can still point out that he was wrong in the first place to ever bring it up. He should have been listening from the beginning.

No one trusts Shinzo Abe and his bunch of clowns. So, don't read too much into what has been reported. Folling others is one thing. Fooling yourself is just plain stupid.

plasticmonkey are you saying that Abe changing his mind about reviewing the apology is a game?

"Under pressure to improve ties with Seoul ahead of an April visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, Tokyo has been trying to arrange a meeting of Abe, Park and Obama on the sidelines of a global nuclear-security summit in the Netherlands at the end of March."

Abe’s decision to forego his original revisionist’s intents certainly will be highly appreciated by Whitehouse. It would open a door for other positve develoments ahead.

It’s indeed a step forward for Japan to resume its long and productive peaceful path.

With Russia and China (a likelihood) tilting closer when a new page of cold war turns, Japan may have to let its wishful thinking on Russia go, and thus stick to what has worked before in geopolitics.

Abe is only doing and saying what his handlers tell him.

He is about as sincere as a used car salesman.

Frankly, since South Korea does not seem to consider the Kono/Murayama Statements to be any sort of apology I don't understand why South Korea should even care whether Japan revised it or not. So if South Korea is "relieved" that they were not revised can they now admit that they were apologies?

SK Govt officials are level headed and they just think on today than digging and blaming someone's none official comments such as Abe and Japan bashers here.

Voila. Now someone will make a strange remark about dokdo/takeshima and relations will go low again

Pursuing a Forward-Looking Relationship between Japan and the Republic of Korea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3R0rRv6v7E

How many bargaining chips does one bring to the negotiating table? :-D. If people would only realize this, there wouldn't be conundrums. 1) We may or may not take back our apologies. 2) We will push international committee to call Sea of Japan as East Sea. 3) We may or may not revise our kids' history textbook. 4) you may not visit Yaskuni shrine. The list goes on and on. People. These are all BS bargaining chips nations use in negotiation tactics when discussing the real issues like trade agreements. Don't get sucked into it.

I don't think our Prime Minister is fickle minded . He's just open to anything , he believes that this will lead to Peaceful resolution of this problem . He i****s not self serving & selfish at all. He does things well to whatever is good for Japan and he is not a corrupt politician . . He believes that this is for the good of all. Let's give him a break bashers ...why don't You put yourself in his shoes & let's see what will you do . We believe in him , what he does for Japan . People are just jealous because he manages Japan cleverly .. Go go go Sir Abe !!!we believe in you . More power Sir !!!

If S.Koreans decide prematurely Japan as enemy, nothing would be solved. But if there are political and economic issues in it, furthermore. Every man and every animal want to prosper.

Thank God. Now, can we PLEASE change the subject?

Ya, Graham. It has solved.

Good that Abe finally said something, and good on Park for a swift positive response. Time to move forward.

I'm really disappointed with Abe. Probing into Kono's behavior at that time should have been dealt with independently and accurately without considering Japan SK relation or Japan US relation.

The US is angry. China and SK are angry as in other parts of Asia. The economy is not doing so well despite the yen's dramatic fall and the new sales tax kicks in soon. Of course Abe has to flip flop once again. Wait until the economy improves( if it ever will), Abe will flip flop once again if he is still around. Just you watch!

I'm really disappointed with Abe. Probing into Kono's behavior at that time should have been dealt with independently and accurately without considering Japan SK relation or Japan US relation.

This is so ignorant. Japan doesn't exist in a bubble, it's part of the world ecosystem. If all countries stopped trade with Japan, the country would collapse.

Your comment sounds like something an American would say about their own country.

Don't write a lie.

Prime Minister Abe said. 　”　Mi Na o Sa Na I ( I't does not improve )”.　

This is not "accepting."

This is not "not correcting."

This is not "not rewriting."

This is not "succeeding."

This is not "not canceling."

This is not "not verifying."

It is Prime Minister Abe's lip service.

The Japanese government verifies "the lie of Kono" and "the prostitute whom South Korea fabricated".

Prime Minister Abe will cancel the Kono discourse, or he will announce the new "Abe discourse".

What makes you think this will work? Japan has apologized dozens of times before, but ended up SK demanded more apologies. Japan is in a very difficult situation dealing with Koreans, people shouldn't carelessly criticize what Japan tries to do without knowing details.

The Korean nationalists are the ones that convinced many comfort women NOT to accept apologies and reparations from the Comfort Women's fund (though many did).

So now the narrative is that Japan has 'never' apologized or atoned for the comfort women issue, when this is absolutely false.

$@Masaki: Prime Minister Abe said. 　”　Mi Na o Sa Na I ( I't does not improve )”.

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What kind of language you wrote? I only know Japanese, Chinese and English.

Japan doesn't exist in a bubble, it's part of the world ecosystem

Japan is the one who is accused. Why don't you say that to Koreans, the accuser. Actually, the accuser should be the one who should prove the accusation. And you don't allow Japan look into the matter even though being accused? No academic freedom?

.

GOOD!

All the bickering and tension in NE Asia is getting out of hand.

Japan has admitted that there were so-called comfort women during WWII. Then, S. Korea claims that Japan has admitted the coercion by Japanese military.

Japan claims that there is no convincing evidence to prove the coercion by the military. Then, S. Korea claims that Japan has denied the existence of comfort women.

They are just hiding behind sophistry.

The fact is, Japan has never denied the existence of so-called comfort women during WWII and that the Japanee military was involved in running the comfort houses. But there is no evidence that the comfort women were coerced by Japanese military or government.

The US report in 1944 and the diaries of a Korean man worked in a wartime brothel recently found by researchers including a Korean professor have proved that these women were not sex slaves at all.

http://texas-daddy.com/comfortwomen.htm

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/13/national/koreans-war-brothel-diaries-offer-new-details/#.UyWPCLmKBDw

Don't confuse the comfort women for Japanese military during WWII and the Korean comfort women or Yan Kon Shu during the Korean War who lived a painful life.

Abe caved. Bad sign.

Current Ianfu talks began when Suga was talking about Ianfu in a Diet session. One lawmaker said loudly no such thing. then Suga, who was treated as if Suga was a liar got mad at and yelled, there was Ianfu system and he will prove it. LDP members who disliked ultra conservative trying to dominate LDP (meaning they wanted to topple Abe and make their own PM) calmed Suga down. Suga was so humiliated by treated as a liar got scholars help. They found Ianfu system stories in JSDF library and Suga was glad. Abe was too busy in promoting Japan Inc help to many countries, then. Suga reported to Abe.

Now, ultra who wanted to topple Abe cabinet lost some power in LDP crowd. Abe decided to go along with his top man Suga. Apologies stands now. It is official declaration. He is PM of Japan.

Abe did not cave d Not Bad sign, S Korea and Japan can be friend now.

Why a sudden change of heart? it's because US warned there would be no Tri-Lateral Summit if ABE stubbornly insists on his Re-investigation.

tokyodoumoMar. 18, 2014 - 02:05AM JST

There is no change of heart.

First, Abe always said he upholds Kono Statement. He said so at least on May 17, 2013, May 24, 2013, May 31, 2013 , June 18, 2013 and August 13, 2013. He just repeated what he always says.

Second, he did not say he will cancel the review of testimonies of Korean former comfort women. So, the review is going on as planned.

Nothing has changed. There is no credit US can claim.

@Ch3cho" First, Abe always said he upholds Kono Statement. He said so at least on May 17, 2013, May 24, 2013, May 31, 2013 , June 18, 2013 and August 13, 2013. He just repeated what he always says. Nothing has changed. There is no credit US can claim.

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You wrote fact. Kono Statement was presented to S. Korea with "Government of Japan ..." It was not a persona letter. Nippon koku Seifu is not ":I", it was the official apology. Also, US has nothing to do as Japan and Korea are not USA territory. Jusf USA trying to meddle other countries; business as usually.